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By The Book
After being drawn into Beefo's spooky book, the Soup Troop land on the ground within a magical darkness. A voice speaks: "you have been granted a gift...you must prove you are worthy". An arrow strikes Kinna and ghosts within the darkness attack. As the adventurers kill them, small lit areas appear. When the ghosts attack, their victims feel their strength sapping away. Sirrias tries to polymorph Kinna into a bat to protect her, but she turns into a fire bat instead. After the ghosts are killed, light breaks and they fall into a forest canopy on the edge of the Grove of the Eagle. The evil book falls from the sky as well, bumping Kinna and turning her back into a halfling. The book is white now, titled The Goody Good Good Book. During a rest, they talk about Kinna's past: an inner circle runs her clan, and when a circle member dies, their children get the opportunity to fill the seat if they prove worthy in a trial. Her parents went out on a mission to kill something(?), but died and sent Kinna the vial of dragon blood, note, and box. Brodo sends a message to Bliss to update her on the situation. Bliss responds that they've been gone a week and Beefo is gone too. Sirrias scrys Beefo: he's ragged, walking through the forest. He comes to the Grove's barrier and uses his entourage of goblin monsters to open it so he can walk through. Kinna asks the book for information. It says its a spellbook, but she can't see any words. It was last held by an orange demon-person from the Silverwing Tower who meanly dumped it in the forest. A bunch of squirrels sneak up and mob K'harth. One of the squirrels morph into a wood elf druid with a knife at Sirrias' throat. It calls the group interlopers and asks about the barrier. His name is Duck Duck Goose, and he's the druid of the Grove. He agrees to accompany the gang as they try to free his home. Sirrias guides the group to the spot where Beefo entered the barrier, and as he walks his driftwood staff slowly sheds bark, turning to permanent cinder. At the mint-green barrier, Kinna pulls out her blue feather dagger and stabs the barrier, creating a temporary rift before the knife dies. Everyone travels through. In the meadow beyond, they see eagles lying dead on the ground with their hearts torn out. Sirrias flies up and spots a small junky tower in the distance. Kinna hears the voice of Firaga, the fire giant within her staff: "bring the fight to Him...bring me to Him". At the tower, there are halfling children playing a ball game with an eagle heart and blood on their faces. An old halfling woman, Rootoo, comes out of the Tower and stuns Sirrias and Duck Duck, who were getting ready to fight. She says she was Kinna's childhood nanny, and she asks her in to meet the council and assume her place as Herald. Kinna and the group push back, apprehensive. Rootoo tells her the Herald is to be the leader of the Clan, and that the Grove of the Eagle is something of an end destination for the nomadic Silverwing. The group decide to enter, but Duck Duck, still stunned, is dragged back by his squirrels. Inside the tower is a dramatic library full of activity. They go to Kinna's old room, where Beefo and his goblins are waiting. Previous Episode: Do I Have To Spell It Out? Next Episode: Of Dragons and Daddies